Many poets are not poetsfor the same reason thatmany religious men are not saints:they never succeed in being themselves.They never get around to being the particular poetor the particular monk they are intended to be by God.They never become the man or the artist who is calledfor by all the circumstances of their individual lives.

They waste their years in vain effortsto be some other poet, some other saint…

They wear out their minds and bodies in a hopeless endeavorto have somebody else's experiences or write somebody else's poems.

There is intense egoism in following everybody else.People are in a hurry to magnify themselvesby imitating what is popular—too lazy to think of anything better.

Love the carefree feeling of this post. Love the exploration of what its like for you to simply be present. Such a delicious day, walking and making art and looking at art and feeding the cats, and so on. I feel the richness of this wonderful day. What more could we ask for but to live this simply and deeply? Thanks for the reminder

Hello Leslie - love the new header and thank you for the words - brilliant timing and just what I needed! Have been very lax in visiting my blogger friends lately which now makes me think it is easy to miss gems like this

The image at the start of your post is fantastic and your poetic description of your day and the quote by Thomas Merton are both uncomfortably close to home. Very often I could be the subject of either of them.

I especially love the first poem, which so well describes the way I often flow through a day. Hoping from this to that, yet they are all connected. Love the photos of your artist book in the sidebar. Create on, Suki

Hi Leslie - your description of the day is so apt for my days - filled with fleeting connections and jumps here and there. Thomas Merton is remarkable. I love the sense of this poem and how we can only truly be ourselves and our work. And Kurt - I laughed out loud! I like that you had paint on your fingers at the end of the day - I had rust and ink and glue so all is well with the world. Thanks for continuing inspiration.

L - Whilst cutting up old silver plated trays and cake stands today I reflected on your post, quotes and poems. In the end I thought fart applied particularly well to the creative side of art. I think it means - 'Fluffing Around until the Right Time' to create - the u is silent of course. Thanks for sharing and starting another discussion. B

I've been M.I.A. in the Blogworld recently, but I'm so glad I didn't miss this post.The painting is your usual awesome,,and hey, any word good enough for Kurt is good enough!

I do an awful lot of what I usually call putzing around,and I have clay under my nails or paint on my fingers most of the time.When I don't, I'm thinking about it. Like now.Thanks for the fun, Leslie!Maybe Blogger takes requests,,,surely they could give us some thumbs to stick up,,,,don't you think?Happy Thanksgiving!

What an amazing post-- Fun yet deep and thoughtful-- how clever and wise.I am getting back into the blog world and see I have missed some posts while in Hawaii. I will have to read through your post again.

Dear Leslie, I just want to thank you for visiting my blog and leave some comments.It has been a privileg for me.I love your work very, very much! Unfortunatly my English is not good...., I would be glad to verbalized it much better...,many regards, Anna

I found your blog through Seth Apter. I just love everything about it (mostly the art), but I'm in love with the blog background, content resources in the sidebar. I'll be back often. Thanks for sharing your beautiful art.

Dear Leslie, I don´t want to miss the opportunity to wish you and your family merry christmas, and all the the for the New Year 2011! Thanks for all your comments! I have enyoyed everyone...,best regards, Anna

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Like breathing

Being an artist is like breathing. It’s this incredible urge to create, that you can’t question. Like breathing you just have to do it, or else you will die.

~Marina Abramović

Click on Image to go to my Tumbler Blog of Things I Love

Andrew Wyeth

Art is never a luxury

Life has an inside as well as an outside. Consumer culture directs all resources and attention to life on the outside. What happens to the inner life? Art is never a luxury because it stimulates and responds to the inner life. We are badly out of balance.

I don't think of art / creativity as a substitute for anything else. I see it as a powerful expression of our humanity - and on the side of humanity under threat.

If we say art is a luxury, we might as well say that being human is a luxury.

Jeanette Winterson

About Me

Leslie Avon Miller experiences her work as a means to observe and honor the world around her. This requires solitude, contemplation and stillness as the work evolves. Once the finished pieces are shared with others they become a conversation between the artist and the viewer.
Each collage is as an entry into a journal, keeping in mind, as Heraclitus said; we can’t step into the same river twice.
The compulsion for creating collage comes from experiencing life as beautifully wild, poignant, and fleeting. The process of creating collage clears space and light for experiencing the moments.

Studio things

More Studio Things

The creation and response to a visual image is a circle

A creative act is not linear. It does not start at “A” and end at “Z” with a product that is wholly explainable. One can neither predict beforehand nor fully comprehend afterwards the steps involved. It is both intellectual and emotional and totally human.

Afternoon

Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you.

- Annie Dillard

Unique Expression

There is a vitality, a life-force, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through another medium. It will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is…It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.

Martha Graham

The Process

I am against being too goal-oriented. “Getting there is half the fun”- especially in art, where the question could well be: is there a “there” there? The process is always valuable in its own right, especially so when it allows us to become freer, less rigid, more alert to all the happenings on the page.